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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. net — after costs
  8. season — in sport
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. face — part of the head
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — hurry
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com